Want to Be an Ag Teacher

SAY ....... Have you ever con- sidered being an Ag teacher? Youthful indiscretion got the better of me during my first attempt to complete my degree in Agricul- ture Education. After several years of work I didn't particularly enjoy, I went back to school at the age of 33, married with two children and two mortgages, and a different out- look on life! School was viewed as my new job, and with my new- found motivation, I completed 49 credit hours in 11 months. I loved my job then and I love my job now! My alarm is set for 5:45AM although I rarely need it because I am usually up by 5AM. I love my job! One of the things I love about my work is helping former students decide whether teaching is the career for them. In my 14 years of teaching, six students who have come through our Agriscience program at Southeast High School in Manatee County Florida have gone on to earn a Bachelors Degree in education. Four of these students majored in Agricultural Education and two in Elementary Education. Five out of the six are still teaching today with one having finished their fourth year of teaching students in the Agriculture field. In addition to supporting my former Southeast students, I believe it is also beneficial to our profession when I support and encourage Agricultural Education students from other schools in our area. I am proud to say I have worked closely with two students from other schools in our district with their transition from the local community college to the university level. Both of these students are teachers today. When first teaching, I observed that when some of the students struggled with the material being covered, they would invariably out , another student could explain it to them in a different manner than my own. While some teachers may take offense to this happening in their classroom, I chose to look at it from another angle. Why should I care where the assistance comes from as long as that struggling student is able to grasp the concepii This after all, is the goal of a teacher. As time went on and the same situation would present itself, I enlisted the help of those one or two students whom struggling students went to when they didn't understand something. I would call them up to the front of the room and ask them to explain the concepts or present the material to the class. Some of these students felt comfortable doing this and some did not. This is an invaluable teaching strategy and a way to plant the seed, "say..... have you ever considered being an Ag teacher?" As a new teacher training a CDE team, I employed this same practice. As most instructors are aware you have some returning members from last year's team. It can be a challenge when you are presenting material that half of the team already knows. I employed the same strategy and had the returning members help teach the material to the new team members. Being ultimately responsible, we had periodic evaluations to ensure that the members were staying on track and meeting the goals that were set for each CDE team. Outside of the classroom setting, this is another avenue for some students to demonstrate their "gift of teaching" as well as another opportunity for me to plant the seed "say . …